Cambodia’s State Secretary of Civil Aviation (SSCA) says it is ready to comply with an audit from the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) after having fared poorly during the last two inspections in 2007 and 2009.
Sin Chan Sereyvutha, the spokesman for the state’s Civil Aviation Secretariat, said that ICAO was scheduled to audit the aviation sector in November 2015, but they pushed the date back to mid-2016 after a request from the SSCA for more time to prepare. They are now ready, he says, after inviting experts to review the technical and regulatory guidelines. During its last full audit in 2007, the international body found safety standards lacking across the board.
“We want to strengthen our capacity and to fill any loopholes in our aviation sector. We needed time for that and now we are ready,” Mr. Sereyvutha said. He says that the sector has met almost all the requirements of ICAO, including introducing new satellite technology such as aviation software that will allow it to better manage air traffic and technology to reduce flying time and CO2 emissions, as well as upgraded airport facilities and runway innovations.
On the top of this, this technology will benefit private airline companies and the national aviation sector because it helps to ensure safety and cuts as much as $1 million per year in costs to air transportation companies.
A senior executive from Cambodia Angkor Air, a state run joint venture with Vietnam, told Khmer Times that air transportation, including safety, is improving. The airline has expanded new routes to South Korea and Laos, and yearly air traffic has more than double since 2009.
Earlier this month, the United States Federal Aviation Administration downgraded Thailand’s aviation sector for failing to meet international standards
SSCA spokesman Mr. Sereyvutha said that the downgrading should have little impact on Cambodia, which some have speculated could stand to benefit from the Thailand's downgrade.
“This does not mean that airline companies will come to invest in Cambodia because of this downgrade,” he said. “It has a small impact. They would not invest in Cambodia because Cambodia's market is small.”
Ho Vandy, an advisor to the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, disagreed, saying that there could be an opportunity if Cambodia knew how to take advantage of the opening.
He added that Cambodia should contact airline companies and governments worldwide to ensure sure that they want to fly to Cambodia.
“Since 1990 to 2000, through the government’s open sky policy there are over 30 airline companies, and since then there are more and more direct flights to Cambodia – in Seam Reap and Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. This is the progress Cambodia has made,” Mr. Vandy said.
He added that if the Civil Aviation authority is strict on its flight and management regulations it will give confidence to tourists and passengers.
According to the statement from the Civil Aviation Department, Cambodian airports saw swift growth over the last few years. Phnom Penh International Airport received 2.7 million travelers last year, up 11.4 percent over the year before. Siem Reap International Airport received about 3 million travelers, up 12.4 percent over 2013.
The two airports received 5.4 million travelers in the first 11 months of this year, up 13 percent over the same period last year.
From Khmer Times
